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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26166259">Tell Me All Your Secrets (let me know you)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkapikasnikka/pseuds/Rikkapikasnikka'>Rikkapikasnikka</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Identity Reveal, M/M, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Post-Episode: s03 Miracle Queen (The Battle of the Miraculous Part 2)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:00:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,701</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26166259</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkapikasnikka/pseuds/Rikkapikasnikka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Luka was tired of secrets.</p><p>His hands were full of them: in the lines of his palms, in the wrinkles of his knuckles, and in the callouses of his fingers. He held onto the secrets of his partners: the synchronicity of their breathing, the beating of their hearts, the pain of their burdens. And he was exhausted.</p><p>Admittedly, Luka Couffaine did not know Kagami Tsurugi that well. But he invited her over to talk, and she had showed up, and now, it was time.</p><p>Adrien and Marinette have to come clean, too.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>202</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>August 2020 - Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. part one</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMoonSky/gifts">SilverMoonSky</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello Silv!! I hope you enjoy this work &lt;3 Thank you for being your wonderful self!</p><p>To those who may need the clarification, Luka and Kagami are dating Adrinette (and vis versa), but Luka and Kagami are not seeing each other.</p><p>Thank you to Gully and Cass for helping me formulate, plot, and beta this piece! &lt;3 Thank you to Noodles, Sibby, and Bella for the encouragement! Let's get this show on the road :clap!:</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Luka was tired of secrets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hands were full of them. In the lines of his palms were the secrets of his mother, his sister, and his absent father; deep and gouging family ties that ran vast and branched out like the valleys of a canyon. In the wrinkles of his knuckles were the secrets of his friends, his companions; sometimes loose and bunched together, other times pulled taut and pale.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And in the callouses of his fingers, the secrets of his partners. The synchronicity of their breathing, the beating of their hearts, the pain of their burdens. Luka held onto all of it, and he was exhausted. Even his fingers felt tired as he ran them over steel strings, but maybe that was just because he’d been playing for hours now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was mid-summer. The sun was high at noon, the hull of the Liberty was unbearably hot, and Luka had long since stopped wearing his jacket in favour of a hope for a cool breeze. He didn’t blame his sister for escaping the heat and going window-shopping with her friends. He might’ve done the same--his favourite music store was always willing to put up with his browsing for a few hours--but he had someone important to meet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or at least, Luka had invited her. He had no idea if she would show.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Admittedly, Luka Couffaine did not know Kagami Tsurugi that well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he was very surprised when he saw her walking down the bank towards the Liberty. Carefully, he set aside his guitar and went to greet her, making sure to give her a wide, polite smile and hold out his hand as she came to a stop beside the gangplank.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You came,” he exhaled, trying not to let his jitters get the best of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You invited me,” she stated, eyeing his hand cautiously before just dipping her head in a polite bow. Luka dropped his arm and copied her. “Why wouldn’t I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t sure; we barely know each other. Would you like something to drink?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He led her onto the deck, and Kagami followed, her shoes clicking against the wood. Her clothes were only a slight deviation from her school uniform, with a plain red skirt and a plainer white blazer. Her eyes were sharper than her outfit, and she seemed put off by the clutter of the boat. But Luka trusted her, if only because if there was one thing he did know about her, it was that she cared just as deeply, just as strongly, for the same people he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Water, if you have it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka gestured for her to sit while he retrieved two bottles of water from a cooler, and he noticed out of the corner of his eye that she was reluctant. She brushed off the chair before sitting, and she half stood to meet him as he handed her a bottle. Kagami twisted off the cap neatly, took a small sip, and said, “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No problem,” Luka replied, plopping into the chair next to her and opening his own. The water wasn’t ice cold, not anymore, but it slid cool and refreshing down his throat. He had to stop himself from anxiously drinking all of it; he still wasn’t sure how he was going to broach this subject with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a while, he fiddled with the cap, letting it tumble across his fingers. Kagami watched him, and Luka shifted uneasily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re nervous,” she stated, as if she was remarking on the weather. Luka smiled at her, but it was strained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You noticed?” he jested, but her frown only deepened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re fidgeting. Marinette fidgets too. She only fidgets when she’s unsure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka glanced away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you fidgeting?” Kagami asked point-blank, and Luka flinched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re hesitating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wrapped his fist around the bottle cap, clenched until the plastic dug sharp edges into his palm, before slowly relaxing and twisting it back onto the bottle. He placed it on the ground and flicked his thumb to his ring instead, feeling the cool metal spin under the pad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to talk to you about something,” Luka blurted. Kagami gave him a look that said more than her words could: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do you take me for an idiot?</span>
  </em>
  <span> It was the same look Marinette gave him when he asked silly questions about fabric or thread.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Obviously. Why else would you invite me here but not Adrien and Marinette?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because it’s about them,” Luka confessed, his thumb spinning the ring faster and faster. He stopped it as the hiss of metal-on-metal grew too loud. A distraction wouldn’t do Kagami or him any good. “You… Do you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami’s eyes narrowed in suspicion - or maybe she thought he was crazy. Luka wasn’t sure. He was basing this off of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>feeling</span>
  </em>
  <span> and nothing more. It hummed and pulsed and oscillated across his skin, as if his nerves were responding to a metronome.  And beneath that </span>
  <em>
    <span>feeling</span>
  </em>
  <span> were the secrets, crawling and scratching and screaming to be loose. It was going to drive Luka insane if he didn’t find solace. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His best bet was Kagami. He was willing to take that bet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I know what?” Kagami said, her voice dropping low and cautious. Luka didn’t blame her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swallowed thickly. “About Adrien and Marinette. That they’re...” Luka gestured vaguely. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Y’know.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Couffaine,” Kagami snapped, standing up and dropping her water bottle. It rolled across the deck. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> know. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Either be frank, or I will leave. I did not come here to talk with a lunatic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay!” Luka stood up with her, throwing his hands up. He was suddenly frantic; if Kagami didn’t know, that meant his intuition was wrong. While Luka felt that it was not his place to spill the secret, he could be vague enough while also asking her. He could do this! Words weren’t his friends, but he could be clever. “I’ll try to explain!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami eyed him wearily, and Luka slowly sat back down. She copied him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s...a secret,” Luka said with hesitation. Kagami’s face remained neutral. “It’s not my secret to speak: it’s theirs. I won’t… I love them both too much to expose them.” Something softened in Kagami’s face, and Luka wondered if it was due to his honesty. “So please believe me when I say that I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> tell you what I know. I just… I need to find out if you know, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami looked down at her lap. She carefully looked at the rest of the Liberty. And then she looked out over the Seine. Luka figured she was thinking; he had never known her to take so long to speak her mind. Several long, arduous seconds ticked by, until even he was unnerved by the silence. Only the beat of the waves on the hull allowed him to remain calm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adrien has many secrets,” Kagami said quietly, her gaze still lingering on the water. “But there is only one that he shares with Marinette.” As stiff as a mast against the pull of the wind, she turned to him. Her eyes were hard. Her mouth was set. “If that is the secret you are referencing, I know it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was like pulling the plug on a sink of dirty water: all of the weight, the grief, the trepidation, bled from his shoulders and his hands and down the drain, condensing in his chest until he breathed it out in a single, loud, exhausted breath. Kagami eyed him oddly, but her mouth was pulled up at the corners. Luka slouched in his seat, his left hand twitching to grab his guitar. Instead, he spun the ring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank goodness,” he gasped. “I had no idea what I would’ve done if you didn’t know already.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami snorted. “Told me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hell no,” Luka insisted. “I’d rather take it to my grave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was quiet for a moment, before she said, “Me too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there was solidarity in that as they sat, quiet and contemplative.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet Kagami was not one to remain passive. “Well, you know that I know, and I know that you know. What now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think </span>
  <em>
    <span>they</span>
  </em>
  <span> know,” Luka stressed, running his palms over his face. This was the root of the problem. “After… Do you remember, when you and Adrien came over, about six months ago? And that Akuma showed up, took out the whole party?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami warily nodded. “Desperada,” she answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Luka confirmed, dropping his hands. “Desperada. Adrien was given…a gift.” He paused, trying to organise his thoughts and say what he had to say - without giving away too much. “The same gift that was later given to me. He couldn’t use it, he wasn’t successful. He told me about it, because... Because he knew I had also used it. And he…” Luka looked down at his hands, etched and chiselled and roughed up by hard work, determination, and passion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because he has nightmares about it,” Kagami continued for him. “I know that, too. I did not know why.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka blinked at her, surprised. “Yeah,” he muttered. “He’ll sleep in my bed a lot.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marinette’s too,” Kagami added. Luka nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wondered about that,” Luka said, his voice firmer than before. “Why did she give him a gift, if he already had one of his own? Why did he accept it? And the only answer that made sense to me was that… They </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> know. They can’t possibly know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think…” Kagami looked around them, at the open water, at the airiness of the deck of the ship, at the sidewalk stretching far into the distance in either direction. She stood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need privacy,” she stated. “We need to be able to talk freely. I can not hold a conversation like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka shifted uneasily. “Mum’s at work and my sister’s out with some friends… But it’s hot downstairs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little heat will not bother me.” Kagami stood again and picked up her water bottle from the floor. Condensation slipped off its surface, dripping onto the wooden boards. Her confidence and poise reminded him of Adrien. “I would prefer to speak plainly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka grunted his agreement. He slung his guitar over his shoulder as he stood up, and he picked up his own water bottle. He gestured for Kagami to follow him to his room, closing doors as they went so they wouldn’t be surprised when someone came home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twin trails of water droplets marked their steady march. They sizzled and evaporated in the hot summer sun.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Kagami sat on the edge of Couffaine’s bed, tapping her chin and thinking over everything they had said. She had shed her blazer, and it was draped over a chest on the floor. Her camisole exposed her shoulders and back, but it was so hot and stuffy in the cabin of the Liberty that the jacket felt suffocating. Yet Kagami had long since decided that, if Adrien and Marinette trusted him, she, too, could trust Luka Couffaine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And considering all they had openly discussed, she had just trusted him with a lot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were both temporary holders. He had wielded the miraculous of the snake, and his kwami’s name was Sass. It granted him the power of intuition and second chance, which allowed him to go back in time. Kagami was still reeling from that tidbit of information.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understood that Marinette was Ladybug when she saved me,” Luka had said, his eyes closed while deep and solemn reverence crossed his face and vibrated through his voice. Kagami thought he looked like he was praying. “And I understood Adrien was Chat Noir when I had to save him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking back, Kagami could not say quite the same for herself. Like Luka, she only remembered bits and fragments of her times as an Akuma - memories that were strengthened by watching news footage and reading Ladyblog posts. She could not say that she knew after being Riposte, but she could say that she knew Chat Noir was Adrien following her time as Oni-Chan. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How else would he have known the context of Oni-Chan’s conflict with Lila? For what else would he harp on about Adrien, when all of Paris seemed to adore him? Why else would Chat have been so surprised, so suddenly attentive when she was purified? Understanding that Chat was Adrien, and Adrien was Chat, had been key in her learning to accept more of him for, well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When my mother was Akumatised by Papillon,” Kagami whispered into the stifling heat. Luka was watching her, but his gaze was gentle. Understanding. He was an attentive listener, and Kagami found that pleasing. “It was obvious who Ladybug was. No one else saw what my mother did. No one who knew me. Ladybug was so quick to the scene, and she </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> to give me the dragon miraculous. What other answer could there have been, but that Ladybug was Marinette?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It feels like a veil is lifted, doesn’t it?” Luka was turning the pegs on his guitar, strumming one corded, steel string at a time, the notes wavering in the air. When the string hit the right frequency, he switched to the next one. “It’s like suddenly everything makes </span>
  <em>
    <span>sense.</span>
  </em>
  <span> And you’re left beating yourself up, because why couldn’t you see it before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami shrugged. “Not really. Their identities are supposed to be a secret.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka frowned, all of his strings now properly tuned. He played a chord, and it hovered in the air, as choking as the humidity. “Still… I felt like an idiot, for so long. Now I feel like I’m putting them at risk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes, she could understand that. Kagami stood up from the bed and started to pace, past the divider that separated Luka’s side of the room from his sister’s and back again. Her camisole felt soaked with sweat, but she paid it little mind. Her feet needed to move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka was fiddling with notes and chords and progressions. Up and down and up again his fingers moved as Kagami moved her feet. Some part of her understood that this was how he sorted his emotions and this was how she sorted hers. As he made music, she made her body move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to tell them,” Kagami finally spoke, stopping in front of him. Luka looked up at her, his forehead furrowing in concern. She folded her arms in front of her chest, and Luka glanced down and quickly back up. Kagami raised an eyebrow at him, and he flushed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he agreed. “I think we do. But…” He scowled and played a tense and pensive passage. Kagami rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re worried,” she stated simply. Luka nodded and laid the guitar down beside him on the bed, before collapsing backwards, covering his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never </span>
  <em>
    <span>been</span>
  </em>
  <span> so worried,” he grumbled. Kagami turned and sat beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She understood. Knowing Adrien and Marinette were superheroes was one thing. Confronting them about it, forcing them to reveal themselves? Confirming their suspicions? Entirely another.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know we have to talk to them,” Luka spoke as he lowered his hands. “But I think we should convince them to tell each other, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami contemplated that. “Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re all in a relationship. It’s a delicate balance. It relies on communication and trust and honesty. With this many people involved, and with a secret this big, it’ll rot and destroy us if we don’t address it.” Luka grimaced at the end, his blue eyes turning hard. Kagami thought they looked a lot like Marientte’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked away from him and towards the divider across from them. “You don’t think they’ll leave us once they know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the heat of summer, the temperature in the room suddenly plummeted several degrees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka was quiet. Kagami let him mull over her question, but in reality, she was becoming just as agitated as him. The thought had been at the back of her mind ever since she had put the pieces together: she had fallen for one half of a whole, just like Luka, and then she fell for them both. Adrien and Marinette completed each other - their friendship, their relationship, their </span>
  <em>
    <span>partner</span>
  </em>
  <span>ship, was sanguinity and perfection. It was no wonder Luka and her had been pulled into their love, too. If Adrien and Marinette learned that their love was destiny, was fated, was </span>
  <em>
    <span>magical,</span>
  </em>
  <span> would they up and leave their other partners?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both knew it was ridiculous. They both knew it was an honest probability. How could any relationship hope to compare to the connection between Ladybug and her Chat Noir?</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “I want to be optimistic,” Luka finally spoke, pushing himself up. He pulled himself to the edge of the bed, sitting beside her. He put his hands in his lap and leaned forward. Kagami could see that he was looking at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked back at him, his messy, sweaty, ruffled and dyed-blue hair reminiscent of Adrien’s after a tough fencing match.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I, too, would like to be hopeful of a positive outcome,” Kagami said. Her hands felt numb as she curled her fingers into fists. “But a good fencer considers every possibility. We have to be prepared for the worst.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka frowned again. “It’s not a fight,” he claimed. “And it wouldn’t be the worst thing for them to realise they would be happier without us.” Yet Kagami thought he sounded meek, and when she tried to meet his eyes, Luka looked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What could be worse?” she bit back, surprised at the emotions in her voice. “What could be worse than them </span>
  <em>
    <span>abandoning</span>
  </em>
  <span> us, Luka?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snarled, and Kagami saw the anger, the rage, that had produced his Akuma. She felt her own heart fluttering and pounding against her ribs, and she wondered why she was scared. Did they doubt Marinette and Adrien’s love for them? Or did they believe that the connection between Ladybug and Chat Noir ran so deep, that there was no way it could possibly include other people, no matter how closely they attached themselves?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s worse,” Luka stated, standing up from the bed and picking up his guitar, his knuckles instantly turning white with his grip. The strings made a sour note. “Is if they decide to abandon each other.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Marinette was accustomed to Luka’s anxiety.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It came in waves. Most of the time, he was calm and steady, if a little choppy, and the days were smooth sailing. Other times, he was rolling and unbalanced, but otherwise cheerful. Yet today…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was the worst storm Marinette had seen yet, and she had been there when he had broken down over his Akumatisation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sat across from him in her rolling desk chair, the pink of her room a pastel contrast to his blue hair. His long fingers were trembling, and while Marinette had said he could bring his guitar, Luka had insisted that the instrument would only be a distraction. She had never thought of it as such: she loved listening to Luka play while she sewed, loved how he created atmosphere and emotions in a few gentle chords. And Adrien loved it too, for he would hum and tap his fingers along with the tunes. Its mere absence was startling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was flicking his ring until it spun so fast, Marinette thought it would fly off his fingers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luka…” Marinette said softly, scooting her chair a little close to the chaise where he was seated, her knees bumping into his. When his text message had simply said that they needed to talk, she had been expecting the worst. But obviously this was something even her catastrophising could not imagine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can talk to me,” she continued, tender and quiet. The sounds of birds and people in the streets came through her walls as a dull murmur, but Marinette’s voice still rang clear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka inhaled with her. His shoulders went still for several seconds before he exhaled in a low sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The other day,” he finally started, the first thing he had said all afternoon since he had greeted her parents. His knee bounced as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. Marinette could feel the vibrations through her chair. “I asked Kagami to come over so we could...talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette blinked before she felt shock come over her. “Luka!” she yelped, joy and spark launching her forward so she could pull one of his hands into her own. He let her. “You know Adrien and I would never object, you’re completely free to da--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I-- Marinette, no,” Luka firmly intoned. “We’re not going to date. We barely know each other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pouted, and Luka chuckled. He reached forward and brushed some of her hair out of her face. “We know each other better now,” he said. “But I invited her for a reason. There’s a secret between the four of us, and I… I couldn’t ignore it, not anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka’s hand fell from her face just as Marinette deeply frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What secret?” she asked, feeling her voice tremble in the warm air. She could see Luka’s throat bob as he swallowed; he was steeling himself, and she feared what he would confess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t tell her, I swear,” Luka pleaded, his expression breaking. “I asked her if…if she knew.  And she does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette could feel herself closing herself off, recoiling away. Only one secret would cause Luka to act like this, to be so disconcerted that he would leave behind his guitar. When had he found out? How </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> did Kagami know? Did Adrien know as well now? Her mind was firing a dozen questions, one after the other, but no words could fly free from the cage of her mouth. Her chest felt tight, her throat clogged, and Marinette realised she was on the verge of panic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka picked up her hands, and everything snapped back into focus. Her mouth opened, and air rushed into her lungs. Marinette felt the tears at the corner of her eyes as her awareness came back full force.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it’s terrifying,” he mumbled. “And I’m sorry that I found out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-What did you find out, Luka?” Marinette inquired, her curious smile feeling fake even to her own muscles. “What did you and Kagami talk about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was in denial, firm and hard and desperately so, but Marinette had to make sure. Her identity had to stay protected, she couldn’t put him at risk, Adrien at risk, Kagami at risk… She loved all of them, too much, too vastly, to risk their lives to Papillon’s terror. Her hands were shaking, even as they were held in Luka’s strong grip, and she was shocked to find that his own fingers were steady.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was trying to be her rock when he himself was already shaken.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We found out that you’re more incredible than either of us could’ve initially guessed.” Luka leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “We… We found out that you’re Ladybug.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All Marinette could do was gasp and start to cry, and Luka wrapped her up in his arms to hold her.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Adrien was not accustomed to Kagami’s hesitancy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was never one to waver. She always knew what she wanted, as solid as an evergreen knows that it wants sun and water and rich, dark soil. She made her decisions, and she stuck with them, and she was always one to speak her mind. Adrien loved all of that about her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet Adrien had never seen her so reluctant in all the time he’d known her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was perched on the edge of his couch in his room, her hands neatly folded in her lap, her eyes staring out the wide, empty windows at the barren sky beyond. If Adrien didn’t know her so well, he would’ve said she just had nothing important to say. But he knew there was something on her mind - he could almost see it, spinning endless circles in her brain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kagami…” Adrien said softly, moving a little closer to her on the couch and laying a hand on top of hers. She turned her palm over out of habit, entwining her fingers with his, but she did not look at him. When Kagami had arrived at the mansion’s front door with only a quiet, “We need to talk,” Adrien had assumed she meant maybe something about their parents, or fencing, or maybe even Marinette. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it must’ve been much bigger than all of that, and now, he was worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can talk to me,” he added, leaning against her. She deflated and leaned back, their bodies touching from shoulder to hip to knee. They craved touch, both of them, but they were often too scared to vocalise a need they had few words for. Thankfully, Marinette seemed to always understand when either one needed a hug, and Luka was always more than happy to settle down for a long cuddle session.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien did not expect Kagami to launch into her story so easily at his prompting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The other day, Luka Couffaine invited me to his place of residence,” Kagami started, turning her brown eyes away from the windows to look at him instead. Adrien blinked, then nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Liberty,” he clarified simply. Kagami nodded back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. He asked me a very confusing question, and I was short with him, but once he clarified himself, I knew that if I was honest, many things would change.” She looked down at their joined hands. “I was scared, Adrien. I am scared that what Luka wants will cause change between us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Us?” Adrien asked nervously. “If this involves all of us, we should--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Kagami shook her head. “Luka is with Marinette today. We agreed on this.” She looked uneasy again, and Adrien wished he could unwrinkle that expression from her face. He wasn’t used to it. “Couffaine wants there to be no more secrets between the four of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something tickled at the back of Adrien’s mind, and he pushed it back. He blinked and tilted his head, eyes wide and face curiously blank. “Secrets?” he repeated, surprised at the slight tremor in his voice. Kagami frowned, and Adrien knew she was disappointed in him. Yet she didn’t voice it, didn’t acknowledge it, and she gripped his hand a little tighter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You might already know this,” Kagami said, her eyes flickering between his bedroom door and his own. She steeled herself and sat a little straighter. Adrien smiled; there was the confident woman that he loved. “But I was once entrusted with a gift and a power to fight evils in our city. Luka was too. We know that it’s dangerous to tell you and Marinette, but letting these secrets rot could destroy our relationship.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien hastily pushed away the urge to deny and flee. Instead, he grinned broadly. “That’s incredible, Kagami,” he breathed, his very breath laced with veneration for her. “I’m really impressed and proud of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, Kagami’s frown only deepened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adrien,” she prompted, the bite back in her voice. “Don’t you have a secret of your own?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien went still from shock. As if all his blood had turned to ice, a chill came over him. He could feel goosebumps rise along his arms and legs; if Adrien had been a real cat, all of his fur would’ve stood on end. Suddenly, he broke his gaze with Kagami, unable to look her in the eye anymore. The shock was quickly being replaced by a burning sense of shame, guilt, and fear. He knew Kagami could read him, knew his heart was on his sleeve, but Adrien couldn’t bring himself to bottle this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t--” But Kagami’s eyes narrowed and her face hardened, and Adrien caught a glimpse of it as he glanced at her and away. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he forced out instead, pressure building in his face. “Kagami, it’s too dangerous, I’ll be in trouble, I… I could </span>
  <em>
    <span>lose…”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Adrien, look at me.” Kagami shifted her body so that she was no longer pressed against him, yet she picked up both of his hands and cradled them in her own. As his shudders gradually calmed, she gently lifted one of her hands and cupped his cheek. Adrien pressed his face into the warmth her palm provided, trying not to let his tears fall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The panic was slowly receding, but it also kept boiling over, like a pot of water he kept shifting off and on the heat. He had to address this if he wanted to continue their relationship, but at the same time, he’d rather walk away and pretend it hadn’t happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kagami…” Adrien whined, but he slowly opened his eyes and looked into hers. He was met with resolution and love, but Kagami’s guidance was always firm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We already know, Adrien,” she declared, and he felt his mind recoil from her statement. His body tried to as well, but there was nowhere to go on the suddenly small couch. “I didn’t tell him, and he didn’t tell me. We had figured it out separately.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien tried to choke out a retort, something to cover it all up, but it was like Kagami was pulling the secret from his chest. Like she was pulling his </span>
  <em>
    <span>heart</span>
  </em>
  <span> from his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Adrien groaned, slumping weakly against the cushions. “You, and Luka, and Marinette…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marinette doesn’t know,” Kagami said, and a rush of hope swirled in Adrien’s heart. Perhaps, then, Kagami and Luka were referring only to his time as Aspik, as a temporary hero. She destroyed that hope with her next sentence. “Luka and I suspect that Marinette has no idea you are Chat Noir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t hold it back anymore. Terror and fear came for him, and Adrien shook and started to cry, as Kagami awkwardly tried to comfort him.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The choking dread was the worst part. Marinette had to battle it at every step, beating it back and telling herself she could find a solution to this. There was a strong possibility Bunnyx would fix everything, bring Marinette back to the past so she could tell her former self, but the idea of </span>
  <em>
    <span>another</span>
  </em>
  <span> doomed timeline was too much to comprehend. Luka held her as she sobbed; he had dragged her out of her desk chair at the first sign of tears, and now, they were curled up on her chaise, his back in the corner and Marinette in his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t feel perfectly safe, but it felt safer than being alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette sniffled loudly, her nose plugged, and she buried her head in his chest as Luka laid another kiss to her forehead. Slowly, the thousands of questions running through her head were sorting themselves out, and she took a moment to breathe in time with the rise and fall of Luka’s chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-When did you find out?” she mumbled, wincing at the raspy sound of her voice. Luka shifted beneath her, settling in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After you saved me,” he answered simply. “I don’t know when it clicked exactly, but it was that day. Seeing you, seeing Ladybug, so close in time to each other... I just couldn’t shake the feeling.” He brushed her bangs out of her eyes. Marinette looked up at him, and Luka smiled softly. “I followed my intuition and looked for other clues. I…” He frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luka?” she prompted when he didn’t continue. Luka sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t want to believe it at first,” he said, not without remorse. “I didn’t want to believe that the girl I loved was putting herself at risk every week.” He curled around her, protectively, and Marinette positioned herself appropriately so that they were more comfortable. “But I believe it now, and it only makes me love you all the more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette swallowed thickly. “I love you too, Luka, but--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled away a little, and Marinette bit her lip. “But?” he repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said Kagami knew too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka nodded. “She… She said she made the connection when you gave her a miraculous.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of the air rushed out of Marinette’s lungs again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not only did Luka know </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> identity, and Adrien’s identity, he now also knew Kagami’s. She pulled away, sitting up in his lap, and Luka let her go. He watched her wearily, but Marinette was determined to not let herself spiral again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does Kagami know that you were Viperion?” she asked, her tone sharp and commanding. It was her Ladybug voice, but Luka didn’t react to it - he only nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>told</span>
  </em>
  <span> her?” Marinette whined, somewhat appalled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said,” Luka replied, his own voice on edge. “I couldn’t ignore the secrets anymore. And I think Adrien deserves to know the truth, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What! No! I can’t--” She flailed helplessly, pulling away from Luka even further, her body unbalanced. He chased after her, sitting up straighter so he could hold onto her when she wobbled backwards. She gave him a thankful look, but she was still anxious. “I can’t tell Adrien!” she reiterated. “It’s one thing for </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> to know, but Adrien is-- I can’t do that to him, Luka, he’s--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was choking on her words again, the clogging dread creating a block in her throat she couldn’t quite swallow. Luka quickly pulled her to him again, cradling the back of her head as she tried to wiggle away. When she felt him tremble beneath her own hands, Marinette went still.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Chanson,</span>
  </em>
  <span> please…” Luka begged, and Marinette had never heard him speak so brokenly. She wrapped her arms around his back, and Luka shifted. He pressed his face into her shoulder. “I can’t do this. Not anymore. It’s tearing me apart. No more secrets…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was quiet as he sniffled. Luka wasn’t crying, but he was obviously upset and torn by this, and Marinette felt her heart go out to him and Kagami. She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping under his weight. Cautiously, she pulled away from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka looked up at her, his blue eyes swimming with unshed tears, and Marinette ran a hand down his face, tracing his jaw - it felt rough beneath her fingers, like he hadn’t been able to bring himself to shave today. She was surprised when he willingly leaned into her touch, laying feather-like kisses on her palm and wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I’ll try,” Marinette said, giving in. “But I have to talk to someone else first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka’s eyes met hers, and she wondered at his confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who?” he asked, his voice a combination of curiosity and incredulousness that made Marinette snort and giggle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My partner of course,” she stated proudly. “Chat Noir.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The fear was so consuming that Adrien lost sight of his own bedroom for awhile. Kagami’s hands weren’t as comforting or as gentle as Marinette’s or Luka’s, but she was doing her best to ground him. Adrien sank into her hold, unsure why he was being overwhelmed by something so simple, but his thoughts kept circling back to one, firm, point: If anyone found out, he was supposed to give up his miraculous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Master Fu was no longer an option, Adrien thought numbly. He would have to give his--no, </span>
  <em>
    <span>the</span>
  </em>
  <span> ring back to his Lady, but then where did they go from there? Would Kagami and Luka lose access to their jewels too, even if they were only temporary heroes? Would Adrien be allowed to see Plagg on occasion, like how they got to see Longg and Sass? It wasn’t like Papillon had learned his identity - just his girlfriend, his boyfriend: the people he trusted just as much as he trusted Ladybug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, the whirlwind started to ebb. He could breathe again, and Kagami stood up and walked away. Adrien blinked, his bedroom coming back into focus in bits and pieces, and Kagami came back with a box of tissues. With shaking fingers, Adrien hastily plucked one out and started to clean up. She held the box for as long as he needed it, and when he was done, she presented him a trash can. He threw the bundle away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without a word, Adrien stood from the couch, walked over to his bathroom, and washed his hands. Plagg phased through the mirror, but he only sat silent by the faucet as Adrien sniffed and scrubbed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he came back out, Kagami was still standing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I apologise for upsetting you,” she said stiffly, her body tipping forward in a bow. Adrien carefully copied her - a subtle indication that he accepted her apology.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright,” he rasped, moving to stand by her side and pick up her hand. He kissed the back of it, and Kagami watched him with a slight smile. “I’m… I’ll be okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat back down together on the couch, and Adrien put his head in his hands. “When did you find out?” he asked, his voice muffled as he spoke to his knees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chat Noir was acting very oddly when I let my jealousy control me,” Kagami explained. “It took me a few days to come to the right conclusion, but once I did, it was easy to see the other clues.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien nodded, still not looking at her. “And Luka?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He…” Kagami paused. “Luka said he made the connection when he had to save you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment, Adrien had to dig through his memories, wondering when Luka ever had to save him. And then, it clicked, and Adrien exhaled sharply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know about him too, don’t you?” Adrien sat up straight, looking her in the eye again. His voice didn’t waver. “You know about him and he knows about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He told me about Viperion, yes,” Kagami confirmed. “And I told him about my time as Ryuuko.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’re sure that Marinette doesn’t?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve concluded that Marinette does not know your identity, no.” She folded her hands in her lap, but Adrien could see that she was uncomfortable about what she wanted to say next. He nodded for her to continue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami took a deep breath before continuing. “And we agree that Marinette deserves to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What!” Adrien exclaimed, reeling back. “No! I’m not putting her at risk!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fact that Kagami’s reaction was to roll her eyes shocked Adrien, and he felt shame and anger burn through him. He opened his mouth to further retort, but Kagami stopped him with a look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marinette can take care of herself,” she insisted, her tone sharp, and Adrien flinched. “You know that more than anyone. And I think she deserves to know who you are, just as much as Luka and I deserved to know. If there is one thing I agreed with Couffaine about, it was that: No more secrets.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien deflated, and he marvelled at how tired his body suddenly felt. It was like he had run across several Parisian rooftops untransformed, but nothing felt particularly bruised except his ego.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These were secrets I had to keep,” Adrien mumbled. “I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone; not even Ladybug.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We understand,” Kagami said, not unkindly. She reached forward and laid a hand on Adrien’s knee, and he instinctively laid one of his on top. She turned her palm upwards so they could twine their fingers together once again. “But we’re a team now. A partnership between all four of us can’t be expected to work without cooperation and extensive communication. Choosing to keep any one of us in the dark breaks trust. Breaking trust--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leads to miscommunication and misunderstandings, which leads to conflict,” Adrien finished, giving in. He sighed out his nose, and Kagami grinned widely at him. “Fine, I’ll… I’ll tell her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Adrien.” Kagami moved forward and kissed his cheek, and Adrien pouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t thank me yet,” Adrien grumbled. “There’s someone I’ll have to beg forgiveness from first. She… She has the final say in all of this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami watched him, waiting for his answer, but Adrien suspected she already knew it. When it seemed like he wouldn’t speak, she opened her mouth, and Adrien forced the name from his lips at the same time that Kagami whispered it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ladybug.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>When Luka rolled his eyes at her declaration, Marinette playfully hit him. “Don’t do that!” she scolded him, and Luka chuckled. “He’s my friend! My best friend!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I always thought that was Alya?” Luka teased, but Marinette only shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Outside of the mask, I guess,” she said simply. “But as Ladybug, I only have Chat Noir. If Adrien deserves to know my identity, then Chat deserves to know that I’m telling people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka was quiet for several seconds, and Marinette thought that he was contemplating the complexity of the situation. But he eventually relaxed, and his eyes went soft. “Will you tell him who you are?” Luka whispered, his voice oddly quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably not,” Marinette admitted, her shoulders slumping. “It’s… It’s dangerous. There are other secrets, Luka, that I’m not ready to tell. Please forgive me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her mind kept wandering back to a destroyed Paris, a whole universe purged from existence, and a lonely cat sitting at the highest point he could find.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she expected, his face wrinkled at the disclosure of more secrets, but she also saw the exact moment he decided to let it slide. “We’ll start with this one,” he relented, kissing her cheek before sitting back against the chaise. She smiled in relief, the weight slowly easing off her back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe… Maybe she could trust Luka. No, scratch that, she could </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> trust Luka. And she could trust Kagami, and Marinette knew she could trust Adrien. She had trusted him over twenty-five thousand times - and while she regretted the results of her decision, Marinette did not regret trusting him. Resolve fortified, she gave Luka one sharp nod, and climbed off the chaise - nearly tripping over his legs, until Luka grabbed her arm and steadied her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Th-Thanks, Luka,” she stuttered awkwardly. He was smiling at her, but it had that teasing lift to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s no wonder that you have everyone fooled,” he remarked. “You’re very clumsy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette gasped and huffed, crossing her arms and turning away. After a moment of thought, she grabbed her desk chair and dragged it back to her computer. “You’re not always graceful either, y’know,” she teased back, sitting back down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka proved her statement when he, too, tumbled off the chaise. Marinette giggled as he groaned, shaking his right leg - the one she’d been primarily sitting on, she supposed, when he had held her. He limped over to her, his stride growing in confidence until he reached her. Luka wrapped his arms around her from behind, bending over so he could rest his head on her shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette reached up and ruffled his hair. It felt soft but stringy, and she rubbed at his scalp as the tension bled from him and back into her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please tell him,” Luka mumbled into her neck, his warm breath causing goosebumps to rise along her arms. “Please. I don’t want to be the one to do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll… I’ll try, Luka,” Marinette mumbled, kissing his temple as she nudged her computer awake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s all I ask. Thank you.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Why does Ladybug’s opinion of this matter?” Kagami asked point-blank, and Adrien groaned. A sense of restlessness came over him, and he pushed himself off the couch to pace around his room. At first, he folded his hands behind his back and bowed his head, watching his shoes as he walked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because there are rules in place that she may have to follow,” Adrien explained, his fingers curling. “I… I honestly don’t care that you and Luka found out.” He rubbed the back of his neck, for he felt sheepish admitting as such aloud; his identity was important, yes, but the trust he felt for Kagami and Luka far exceeded his concerns for the consequences. “Now that I’ve had an opportunity to process, I… I’m okay with that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami furrowed her forehead as she watched him pace the stretch of floor in front of the windows. He turned abruptly on his heel each time, and he was soon holding his chin as he continued to contemplate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And?” Kagami pushed. Adrien hesitated, but he soon let the words bubble from his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember what she told you?” he asked, stopping in front of Kagami momentarily. Adrien didn’t give her even a chance to nod before he was continuing. “If Papillon, or anyone close to you, or even if I, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chat Noir,</span>
  </em>
  <span> find out someone’s identity, that person can’t have that miraculous again. It’s a safety measure. Only the Guardian can know who the holders are, and Ladybug’s the Guardian right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He breathed deep, took in Kagami’s slightly worried and stunned expression, and picked up his pacing once again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So there’s a possibility she’ll want the ring back. And… </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> what I’m afraid of. I’ll hang on to it, I’ll even fight for it, but if it’s what she wants… I can’t disobey her, Kagami. I…” Adrien stopped again, but this time, he looked out the windows. His arms crossed in front of his chest, and he rubbed at his biceps as if cold. Kagami picked herself up off the couch and came to stand beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still…” He trailed off, unable to confront his feelings when it still felt like trying to handle hot coals with his bare hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You still love her.” She finished for him. Adrien looked at Kagami and nodded. He could feel the tears shining in his eyes, but he refused to cry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s getting easier,” he whispered. “She has a boyfriend now, and I have all of you. But it still hurts a little.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami shuffled herself a little closer and wrapped an arm around his waist. Adrien repeated the action to her, leaning against her with a quiet sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’ll be surprised,” Kagami muttered into his hair. “And we still want you to tell Marinette.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will,” Adrien mumbled back. “No matter what Ladybug decides, I’ll tell her. I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami kissed the crown of his head, and Adrien relaxed and smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Adrien.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><a href="https://discord.gg/mlfanworks">Come and join us on the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server!</a><br/>We are a community of MLB fans who write, read, beta, collab, and even exchange fanfiction and fanart. We run events, Author AMAs, calendar prompts, writing and art sprints, and we even have a book club for fanfics! Come join over 500 amazing, supportive Ladybug and Chat Noir fans today!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. part two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marinette was tired of talking. Talking with Luka, talking with Chat Noir, and now, she would have to talk to Adrien. Maybe she was just tired of talking with boys.</p><p>She was nervous to talk to Adrien.</p><p>But Marinette refused to let her nerves get the best of her.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's the second part &lt;3 I originally had plans for this whole story to be one big one-shot, but I'm glad it got split into two parts. It was probably for the best, and besides some insecurities, it went very well! Woohoo!</p><p>Thank you to Cass, Sseagully, Sibby, and Noodles for betaing/helping me through the funk. I really appreciate all of you. &lt;3</p><p>And to Silv: Keep being an awesome person, an awesome writer, and an awesome member of our community! It's been a pleasure and a journey to write for you!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The sun had already set, but the summer’s nighttime air was as thick as wet custard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>During the height of summer, night never truly came. A dull glow lingered on the western horizon, marking where the sun was hiding behind the curvature of the earth, and Ladybug swung her way towards it. It was already very late, but tomorrow was Saturday, and her parents would forgive her for sleeping in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She flipped, she landed, she rolled, and she was back on her feet and sprinting across the rooftops in one solid, fluid motion. Despite the humidity, it felt good to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>run.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It felt like she was leaving her emotions behind with her worries, and her heart hung in her chest as light as her body did in the air as she swung across the next gap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To the north, the source of the moisture flashed and throbbed white and chaotic, but the storm was too far yet to hear the thunder. Instead, Ladybug could feel each zap in her bones, and she shuddered in anticipation. The wind was already starting to pick up, bringing some relief from the heat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was late to their meeting location, but Chat Noir never chided her tardiness. He was waiting patiently against the railing, looking out at the city and the dark ribbon of water that cut through it. A glimpse of white teeth and his vibrant green eyes - and all of her worries caught up with her in a flash of lightning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned over the edge, looking down at the tourists still milling in the square. “This was a great idea, Milady,” he greeted, his ears perked up straight and his tail flicking back and forth. His heavy boots made a thud as he came back down, looking towards her and stretching backwards, claws still clinging to the rail. “Do you know what flavour you like? I love the sherberts!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug tried to grin at him, but she knew he could see through it. His own excitement slowly dulled, and his eyes turned sharp. “Milady?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sherbert is good,” she said instead. “But I like the mint.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oooo,” he cooed, looking back towards the square, eyeing up the ice cream cart. Ladybug appreciated that Chat was willing to accept her deflection - for now. “I’ve never had it. Lactose and I don’t get along.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” she teased, stepping forward to stand beside him as he straightened. “Aren’t cats supposed to like milk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually!” Chat gave her one of his biggest smiles, his mouth stretched from ear to ear. “Cats are lactose intolerant! Giving them cow’s milk can make them sick.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug blinked, let a quiet, “huh,” drop from her mouth, and then sulked when Chat laughed. He unhooked his stick from his back, and it extended in his hand as his chuckles died down. “It’s alright, LB,” he said. “This cat forgives you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t ask for your--!” she fumed, stomping her foot as he laughed again and vaulted over the railing and towards the stones below. With a loud, “Hey!!” of indignation, Ladybug chased after him on her yo-yo, surprised to find that her nerves had calmed again. No matter what he wanted to talk about, she told herself, they’d be fine. She could trust him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His message had felt eerily similar to Luka’s last week, but considering that she needed to talk to him too, Ladybug had asked Chat if they could go for some ice cream. He had readily agreed, and now, he was browsing the cart’s selection with stars in his eyes and quiet contemplation. It reminded her of how little kids would stare into the pastry displays at the bakery, faces full of wonder and admiration when their parents allowed them to pick one out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That one!” he chimed, pointing happily at a deep red sorbet. Ladybug came and stood beside her partner as the owner of the cart put the frozen treat on a cone. Chat took it, surprisingly careful as he cradled it; he was probably being mindful of his claws. She picked out a flavour as well - a deep green one, which tasted earthy and bitter but also sweet and smooth - and then paid for their treats out of her yo-yo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chat waited for her a few steps away, his treat already starting to melt in the nighttime heat. “You didn’t have to pay for me,” he whined, his ears flat. “I’m the one who asked if we could meet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I invited you for ice cream,” Ladybug clarified, using the small, wooden spoon to try a little more. Matcha, maybe? Green tea? Somewhere in that vein, she figured. “It would’ve been rude to ask you to foot the bill. I don’t mind.” Her eyes roamed over the civilians in the square, some of them watching them, others taking pictures. “Shall we find someplace private, Chaton?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His ears perked up, and he nodded. Without another word, they held on tight to their desserts and left.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Chat placed the last of his cone down on the iron beam, a content sigh leaving his lips. The Eiffel Tower still radiated warmth from the heat of the day, but the cool treat (a raspberry sorbet, he concluded), and the gentle breeze from the faraway storm, provided some relief. Chat sighed as he placed his hands behind him, kicking his feet as he stared up at the navy blue sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It reminded him of her eyes, but to see those, he only had to look sideways. She was fidgeting with her yo-yo, her ice cream long gone, but she looked as nervous as he felt. They had been exchanging happy and light conversation, but now... </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to talk to you,” Chat said, finally biting the bullet. Her lips twitched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About something specific, I presume,” she teased. “We’ve been talking all night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chat rolled his eyes, but he sat up straight and put his hands in his lap. “It’s important, actually…” He glanced down and away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug was quiet while he gathered his wits and his courage, and for that, he was thankful. Taking a deep breath, he forced out his first confession.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone found out about me.” Chat felt his face wince before he could even finish the sentence. Ladybug’s blue eyes went wide, but he couldn’t meet them. “I trust them, a lot, but it was scary at first, and then…” His breathing hitched, and Chat swallowed the guilt welling up in his chest. “And then they pointed out that I need to tell my girlfriend. And… And I want your permission to tell her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug opened her mouth, but Chat continued. “Actually, no,” he fought, unsure why he was being so stern with her when she had yet to speak. “No, I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>going</span>
  </em>
  <span> to tell her, because she deserves to know. And I trust her, as much as I trust you. I guess I’m just asking for your blessing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She closed her mouth. Chat could see the gears turning in her mind. Slowly, she folded her hands in her lap and stared out over Paris, the glow of the Eiffel and the city washing out the red of her suit and the blue-black of her hair. Suddenly, she looked so young and yet very, very old.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Chat’s patience started to run thin, he opened his mouth to speak again, but she raised a finger to stop him. He closed his mouth, but his cat ears were lying flat against his head, and he could feel his belt-tail twitching.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” she whispered. She took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling. Ladybug turned to look him in the eye. “Alright,” she said again, with more confidence. “You can tell your girlfriend. And… And you can keep your ring. But on one condition.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Your</span>
  </em>
  <span> ring. Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>the</span>
  </em>
  <span> ring. The distinction sent a thrill through him, but Chat pushed his emotions aside to nod his head, indicating to his Lady that he was listening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything,” he muttered, relief already flooding his veins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get to tell someone too,” she declared, lifting her chin. Chat blinked in surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-- Okay,” he said, confused. Ladybug had always been so strict about her secret identity, and now she wanted to share it with someone? Some part of Chat was hurt; he was deeply wounded that she didn’t want to share herself with him, her partner, her other half. “Who?” he asked before he could stop himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked away from him, her shoulders hunching and her face turning pink. Chat could barely see the blush in the dim lighting, but he felt his lips twitch into a soft smile at her abrupt bashfulness. “A friend of mine,” she answered, although he suspected she was lying. “A good friend,” she clarified after a moment, and Chat chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> good friend?” he teased, and Ladybug’s eyes rolled, although her face was flushed. She nudged him with her elbow, and Chat laughed. “If you want to tell your boyfriend,” he got out around his giggles. “I don’t mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her expression fell, and she looked down at his abandoned ice cream cone. She picked it up, examining it, before placing it back down. It wobbled, and a drop of sorbet leaked down the side before it steadied. “My boyfriend already knows,” Ladybug said with a sigh. She looked mournful, almost lost, and Chat stared at her in surprise. “He...figured it out, somehow. Apparently…” She bit her lip, but before Chat could say anything else, she continued. “I can’t say anything exact, but he was given enough pieces, and… And it just clicked for him. I guess I’m not very good at hiding my identity to those who pay attention to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she was in the same position he was. Someone had found out, called her out, and now, she had to tell someone else who deserved to know the truth. Chat looked down at his boots, not at all fazed by the two-hundred-or-so metres of open air beneath them, and wondered if he should come clean. His ‘friend’ was not really his friend, but his girlfriend, and that his boyfriend also knew, and that he had to tell Marinette, Multimouse, because he was dating her too…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Chat knew that was too much information. Ladybug would find his identity in a heartbeat if he confessed to any of that. Chat took a deep breath and held it for as long as he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he said on the exhale. “Sh-Should we...tell each other?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could hear the pleading, the borderline </span>
  <em>
    <span>begging,</span>
  </em>
  <span> in his voice, and he was ashamed of it. Chat-- no, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adrien-- </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted to know her so badly that it choked him. He wanted to be able to call her on the nights when the Akuma nightmares got to him; he wanted to hold her hand and share coffee and eat cookies together; he wanted a chance to watch movies and play games with her. Maybe dating Kagami and Luka and Marinette had opened his mind to the possibilities of love, and maybe he was being greedy, but he wanted Ladybug too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted her </span>
  <em>
    <span>still,</span>
  </em>
  <span> after all this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chat shuddered as his daydream shattered and a faraway lightning bolt struck the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-Why?” he blurted out, shaking in the heat as if cold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-It’s too dangerous,” she said hastily. Chat blinked in her direction. “I… I have my reasons.” She was rubbing her arms as she talked, and Chat wondered if Ladybug could feel the chill between them too. “I don’t know if I can tell you… I’ve been scared to tell you since I found out, but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Milady, you can tell me anything.” Chat wanted to ease her worries, but he could see that she wasn’t going to crack on this. Already Ladybug was shaking her head, her pigtails wagging with the motion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe someday, I will,” she admitted. She dropped her hands back to the iron beam, and Chat watched helplessly as she moved her feet under her body. Ladybug stood up, stretched, and turned to him. Her foot knocked over the last of his cone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t notice as it spun, spilling dribbles of sorbet across the iron, as red as her suit, as red as blood--all washed out and away by the nighttime lights. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But for now it is safer for us both if neither of us knows.” Ladybug spoke with confidence and poise, her back straight and her shoulders broad. Chat swallowed thickly, looking up at her, feeling small. “Papillon is still after us. For every person who knows our identities, the risk and danger to our loved ones increases. And if you or I were compromised…” She looked down, breaking their eye contact, and Chat watched as she noticed the cone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh…” she mumbled, backing away. “S-Sorry, I hadn’t realised--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” Chat said quickly, picking up the crushed cone and fiddling with it. All of the iced treat was gone now, pooling over the beam. “I was done with it anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowned at him, and Chat frowned at her, and then they both sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if he was picking up more than just his body, Chat went through the motions of standing up. He brought one leg up from over the edge, moved into a crouch, and then rolled himself sideways and to his feet, one shoulder following the other. He stood beside her, taller than her, and he reached for his stick after glancing at her and away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chat,” she said, her voice almost muffled by the increase in wind. It brought them some much-needed relief from the heat now that their cold desserts were gone, but Chat was hoping he could beat the rain home. “Please, I didn’t mean to--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can tell her, right?” Chat interrupted, turning hard eyes back on his partner. Ladybug flinched, but she slowly nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” she confirmed. “You’re right; she deserves to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’ll tell your friend?” Chat continued, his claws tightening around his weapon. Her boyfriend knew. She was telling some friend of hers. She wasn’t telling </span>
  <em>
    <span>him.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He’d be lying if he said he could mask the venom in his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug shuffled her feet, clearly uneasy. “He deserves to know,” she mumbled. “He’s been there for me, for so much. I… I love him.” Her hand came up and clenched into a fist over her heart. “It’ll hurt him, I think, but I’d rather tell him than to continue this lie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chat felt his mouth thin into a line, but he wrapped all his grief and hurt into a tight ball and hurled it over the edge of the Eiffel. As another fresh breeze came along, it caught his emotions and carried them away, dragging them up into the storm. The clouds were getting closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand,” Chat said softly, finally stepping forward and standing in front of her. He leaned in, and when she turned her big, brilliant blue eyes up to watch him, he searched her face for permission. The slightest nod of her chin was all she gave, and Chat bowed his head and kissed her cheek - dangerously close to the corner of her mouth. He felt her lips twitch, but if it was into a frown or a smile, he wasn’t sure. He pulled back. “And I forgive you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her smile was knowing; he knew she had wanted to apologise, but Chat didn’t want her to say it. He didn’t want to hear those words. She was just doing what had to be done, and he loved her for it. Just as he loved everything else about her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” she whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Milady,” Chat whispered back, laying his forehead against hers. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The storm finally arrived on the way home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It came first in the air, the musky, dizzying scent of earth and rain penetrating her nose. It came secondly in the wind, which had been blowing all night but had suddenly increased in ferocity. And thirdly, it came in water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rain was instantaneous.  It came down like a waterfall, darkening sidewalks and brick chimneys and stone walls. It dragged down umbrellas and muted street lights, rushed through gutters and cascaded down pipelines. It drenched her hair, her suit, and her fears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Talking to Chat Noir had not eased Ladybug’s concerns about telling Adrien her secret identity. It opened a huge can of worms, in her opinion: what if Adrien blamed her for his time as Aspik, since he was still battling the occasional nightmare? What if she told him about Chat Blanc, and how Adrien had been the one to out her identity? What if he decided that dating a superhero--no, </span>
  <em>
    <span>three</span>
  </em>
  <span> superheroes!--was too much for him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she finally landed on her balcony, Ladybug could not bring herself to go inside. She paced in the rain, drawing circles on the terracotta tiles. She kept trying to chew her nails, but since she was still transformed, Ladybug could only chew on the outside of her suit. She tugged on her ponytails, she kicked a potted plant, and eventually, she sat down and cried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haven’t you cried enough this week?” she mumbled to herself, pushing away tears and raindrops. Frustration boiled in her stomach, as hot as the summer sun and as wild as the storm. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself and… and get a grip.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But her words rang hollow and lifeless, and when Marinette finally descended into her bedroom, she felt weak. Soaking wet, she climbed down to her bottom floor, her hands trembling and her bones weary. Tikki watched from up above as Marinette went through the motions of changing into pyjamas in the near-dark--the only light in the room came from her bedside lamp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marinette,” Tikki said quietly as her holder climbed back into the loft. “We… We need to talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette was tired of talking. Talking with Luka, talking with Chat Noir, and now, she would have to talk to Adrien. Maybe she was just tired of talking with boys.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She collapsed onto her bed, huffing when her body bounced and the blankets puffed up. Marinette grabbed her pillow and buried her face into it, wishing her nose didn’t feel as clogged as it did. “What, Tikki?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Kwami settled down beside the pillow, and Marinette turned her head sideways to watch her. Tikki looked worried and grave, but Marinette had no energy to guess at why.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you tell Chat Noir?” Tikki asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stunned, Marinette carefully sat up, turned around, and leaned against her pillow. She pulled the comforter over her legs, and then she opened her hands for Tikki to settle into. Tikki floated over and gradually sat down on Marinette’s palms, her tiny face creasing with more concern. Marinette lifted her up until they were nearly eye level.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think we should,” Marinette confessed quietly. “Master Fu always told us--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I always told you,” Tikki interrupted. Marinette struggled to regain her train of through; she was tired, wet, and drained both physically and mentally. This was a conversation that had to happen, she knew, but she felt like she didn’t have the capacity to engage in it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Marinette said slowly. “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> Master Fu insisted that we keep our identities a secret. I think… I think we should continue that, between Chat and me. Or at least try to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Tikki pressed, and Marinette groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I don’t know,” she whined, her shoulders falling and her face breaking down into distress. “I’ve almost been Akumatised. Chat </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> been Akumatised. If either of us is compromised again, and we </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> who the other is? Papillon could… Could use that…” Marinette forced herself to take several deep, long breaths; the fear was overwhelming, blanketing, all-consuming. She closed her eyes and forced herself to inhale deeply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tikki did not push Marinette as she took the time to breathe. The Kwami only watched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our enemies could use such information against us,” Marinette finally expressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you think the risks still outweigh the possibilities?” Tikki inquired, rising from Marinette’s palms to float in the air. Her antennae were twitching, and Marinette gave her a small smile. Tikki’s frown grew. “Marinette, I…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Marinette said solidly, her fingers curling. “The danger is too great right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what about Luka and Kagami?” Tikki pressed. “They’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> been Akumatised! And now </span>
  <em>
    <span>they</span>
  </em>
  <span> know! If anything happens, they’ll be--!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I trust them!” Marinette yelled, slamming her closed fists on the bedspread. Tikki reeled backwards, shocked by her holder’s sudden outburst. “I trust them, and I… I don’t know yet if I can trust Chat with this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The truth hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It crawled and climbed like a vine inside her chest. It strangled her heart, squeezed her lungs, and dug its roots into her belly and made her nauseous. But it was also freeing: it had sat like a heavy stone in her sternum, and now it was growing, lessening, spreading its hold on her to the rest of her body. It seeped further into her bones, establishing and cementing her physical and emotional ache, and it made her weary. Marinette was tired of carrying this truth, but now, it was free. Free to grow and bloom and bear fruit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fruit that she would one-day trust Chat Noir with her identity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just… Not right now, Tikki,” Marinette mumbled, sinking further into her bed. Tikki must’ve been able to tell that her holder was exhausted, for she slowly backed off and curled up beside Marinette on the pillow. “Someday but… Not right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay, Marinette,” Tikki mumbled, reaching out a tiny arm and patting the crown of Marinette’s head. “Take your time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not mad that I’m going to tell Adrien, right?” Marinette asked sleepily. “Because I want to tell him, I want him to know, and--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tikki giggled. “I’m not mad. I think Adrien would really appreciate that you decided to trust him with this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That set her mind at ease enough for Marinette to smile into her pillow. She curled around it, snuggling her face into it, and inhaling deeply. It still smelled like Adrien a little - he’d been so tired during lunch break at school, that he’d asked if he could nap in her bed. Apparently he had had plans tonight that would keep him up late, and he felt that he needed the extra sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Absently, Marinette reached for her phone, pulled it free from its charger, and opened it to her messaging app. She typed out something quickly with her thumbs, sent the message to her boyfriend, and then reconnected it to the cord and threw it back onto its table.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>i hope ur plans went well and u made it home safe!!!</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>stay dry! dont catch a cold! &lt;3</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Chat felt like a drowned rat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The scent of rain had never bothered him, but his heightened senses caught onto it. Like static electricity, the urge to run danced along his skin, pushed and pulled by the impending doom of the storm. Chat was not faster than his Lady when it came to racing over rooftops, and he had a feeling that she wouldn’t make it home before the rain either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, the torrent caught him as he was leaping from one roof to the next, and Chat mewled and slid under an overhang as quickly as he could. He huddled there, shivering and wet, and he felt himself hiss at the wet puddles accumulating at his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blinked and then shook his head rapidly, droplets flinging out from his hair and ears. What was he </span>
  <em>
    <span>doing?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Acting like an actual cat, stuck outside in unfortunate weather? Gathering his wits and pushing back his instincts, Chat grabbed his stick again and prepared himself to become further drenched on the way home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hence, drowned rat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien stood in the middle of his bedroom, grimacing and cold, as Plagg zoomed off to eat cheese. Adrien pulled at his wet clothes, feeling gross and icky, and he wobbled to his bathroom, trailing water as he went. He shed both shirts before he was even halfway there, dropping and leaving them in sopping piles on the floor, before desperately wiggling out of soaked, tight jeans and heading to the shower.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No longer distracted by the crawling feeling of heavy, gross fabric clamouring over his skin, Adrien’s mind was free to wander. He stood there, shocked and still under the warm spray, before shuddering and going through the motions of cleaning up. His expectations tonight had been dashed and shattered, and now, he was picking up the pieces and trying not to cut his hands on sharp emotions and jaded thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mind was in one of two places: either his Lady was still trying to keep to the rules, which seemed like the most obvious justification; or his Lady didn’t trust him, which was the more terrifying reason. Yet the rules demanded that he give up his ring, that she give up her earrings, now that there were people who knew their identities. Adrien figured that it was a relief that no one knew both, and he ducked his head under the shower to scrub out the shampoo suds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So it couldn’t be that she was simply following the rules. Random civilians were surely at more risk of Akumatisation than </span>
  <em>
    <span>they</span>
  </em>
  <span> were. Adrien bit hard into his lip as an overwhelming sense of grief built in his stomach and pushed upward into his chest. It felt like a pumice stone--dense and solid, but able to float on an ocean of hope. Ladybug didn’t trust him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His </span>
  <em>
    <span>partner</span>
  </em>
  <span> didn’t trust him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wrestled with that for a long time, until even his Kwami peeked around the curtain to check in on him. Adrien blinked at Plagg, unsure if the water slipping down his face was leftover rain, spray from the shower, or tears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kid, you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…” Adrien looked down and away, rubbed at his face to dry his eyes, and grimaced when he realised the motion was useless. “No,” he admitted bitterly. “But I will be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached over and turned the shower off, turning the knob as far as it would go, unable to recall if he had used conditioner or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Plagg was quiet as Adrien got dressed into pyjamas and crawled into bed, pulling the comforter over his head and burying himself in his sheets. Yet Plagg still settled in close by, curling up on the neighbouring pillow and watching, tail flickering but ears straight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adrien,” Plagg grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien sighed and lifted the edge of the comforter away so he could peer at his Kwami. “Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you wanna talk about it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really,” Adrien said through gritted teeth. He ducked back under the comforter, but Plagg rolled his eyes at the tuft of blond hair that still poked out. “It sucked. That’s all there is to say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.” Plagg rolled over, stretching his back, and Adrien pulled back the blanket again to watch his Kwami. “But I didn’t think you’d cry after finally getting your ice cream date with Ladybug.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien frowned, thinking. He didn’t want to talk about what happened, but he figured Plagg already knew. This was his Kwami’s way of trying to support him, and Adrien appreciated that. Somewhat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not crying,” Adrien sniffed. Plagg raised an eyebrow. “About the ice cream date,” Adrien clarified, looking away. He sighed and pushed the sheets away, opting to sit up against his pillows instead. Plagg rolled back over and floated towards his holder, and Adrien held up his palms so Plagg could sit in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think Ladybug trusts me,” Adrien confessed. “Maybe she trusts me on some level, but… She doesn’t trust me to not be Akumatised? She doesn’t trust me to...protect myself? Protect her?” Adrien was prepared to stuff the urge to cry, but he was surprised to find that the urge never came. Anger never came. Disappointment never came. Instead, what filled the void in his chest was complacency, acceptance, and understanding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think it’s that, Kid,” Plagg tried to reassure, but Adrien shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it is,” Adrien mumbled. “But,” and his voice grew more firm as he spoke. “I’m okay with that. I really am!” Plagg was giving him that sceptical look again. “She has her reasons. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> has her reasons. And it’s my duty to trust her, even if…she doesn’t quite trust me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Plagg still looked sad and unsure, but Adrien placed him back down on the pillow beside him. “Besides,” Adrien said, a cheerful tone to his voice that made Plagg perk up in curiosity. “There’s Marinette.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Kwami shifted awkwardly. Adrien chuckled as he laid back down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marinette trusts me, and I want to trust her more,” Adrien said quietly. “I was...apprehensive about telling her, but now I’m excited. I get to share all of myself with her, and with Kagami, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> with Luka.” A surge of happiness swelled within Adrien, and he couldn’t contain it. He kicked his feet, buried his head into his pillow, and let loose a squeal that had Plagg pretending to gag. Adrien chuckled as he pulled away, a bright and brilliant smile on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’ll be worried about us,” Adrien said, a wistfully sad edge creeping into his voice. “But that’s because she cares. We’ll be safe, if just for her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On his bedside table, his phone lit up and pinged. Adrien blinked and scrunched his face at his Kwami, who shrugged. Who could be messaging him so late at night? Adrien wondered if Luka was awake, or maybe Kagami was sneaking behind her mother again, but when he unlocked his phone, Adrien saw that it was Marinette.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A soft smile came to him, melting away the tension in his muscles. Yes, he was more than willing to trust Marinette with this. Besides Ladybug herself, there was no one else more capable, more perfect for him to confide in. Maybe they could talk about her time as Multimouse, or her experience and fearlessness in the face of Akumas. Maybe he could prepare another rooftop picnic, one just for her and not as a gift for someone else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He quickly typed out a reply and sent it to his girlfriend, and once it had been received, Adrien put his phone back in its spot and pressed his face into his pillow. Despite his rough evening and the terrible journey home, he felt bright and bubbly and full of hope. He grinned into his sheets, knowing that the tingling across his skin would be enough to give him happier dreams.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I got home safe, sound, and dry,  Marinette!</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you for checking up on me, please have a good night’s rest &lt;3</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Marinette was tired of being nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>First, she had been nervous when Luka had told her he wanted to talk. And once the anxiety had passed and she was left with room to breathe, there had been a sense of relief. Her next steps had been marked out before her, as clear as a dirt trail through the woods, overlaid with rocks and weeds and false paths that looped and curled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Second, she had been nervous to talk with her partner, Chat Noir. When it became apparent that they wanted the same thing, her nerves had abated and her body had relaxed, only to be overtaken by the storm--both the physical rain and the rush of her emotions. That apprehension still hummed through her skin and sent chills down her bones, especially because she knew she would have to face him sooner rather than later. But she would cross that hurdle when she got to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And third, she was nervous to talk to Adrien.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Marinette refused to let her nerves get the best of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All throughout her school day, she clicked her pen with her fingers, nibbled her lip and then her nails, tapped her foot against the floor, and bounced her knee until even the desk seemed to vibrate. About halfway to lunch, Alya laid a hand on Marinette’s and raised a questioning eyebrow, but Marinette could only shake her head. She couldn’t tell Alya what was on her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the lunch bell rang, Marinette opened her mouth to speak, but Adrien turned around in his chair so fast, he slipped out of it. Nino caught Adrien’s sleeve before he whacked his nose on the floor, but Alya was already standing and yelling, Marinette was crying out in concern, and Adrien was laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, I’m fine!” he said, grinning and waving them off, but Marinette’s heart was in her throat and she couldn’t speak her words. Shaking, she slowly sat back down, unable to identify when she had also tried to leave her seat, and Adrien slowly stood up and put his palms on her desk. She looked up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette blinked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien was </span>
  <em>
    <span>excited.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It radiated off of him like light, bouncing across his eyes and etched in the lines of his face. His lips were pulled into that boyish grin that she loved so much, and his fingers were flexing on the wooden tabletop. His shoulders were hunched, as if he wanted to pounce and swing himself up onto the desk, but he also seemed to have control of himself. Or, alternatively, Adrien was holding himself back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marinette.” His voice spoke with so much determination that she was taken aback. “We need to--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” she choked out, holding up a hand. No. She would </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> let a third boy say this to her. Adrien stopped, confused, and Marinette felt guilty at being the cause of his slumping shoulders and pleading eyes and sad, little pout. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and puffed out her chest. She straightened her posture, wiggling in her chair to get comfortable, before opening her eyes again to stare Adrien down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked confused and slightly hurt, but beyond that, Marinette thought he seemed fine. Good.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I</span>
  </em>
  <span> need to talk to you,” Marinette said sternly. Adrien’s mouth dropped open, and then… He laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the laugh that bubbled in his chest and out through his nose, the laugh that made him snort and shake and squirm. The one that left his mouth open and his eyes closed and his shoulders drawn up. The one where Adrien hunched over and tried to hold himself together, as if being happy was such a wild and unknown emotion to him that it would tear him apart. It was the laugh that Marinette longed to always hear, because it was the same laugh she had long ago fallen in love with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right now, conflicting feelings of indignation and amusement battled in her chest. She hastily stood up from her desk chair, slamming her palms on the table as her boyfriend continued to chortle and chuckle. She reached out with her notebook, intent on lightly smacking him with it, but Adrien twisted out of her reach with a smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to talk to you, too,” he said with a playful grin, dodging her flailing book again. “Hey! I’m serious!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So am I!” Marinette snapped back, but her cheeks were flushed and her hands were flailing, and Alya and Nino were watching them with amusement and rolling eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good luck, M,” Alya whispered as she passed, patting Marinette on the shoulder. Nino waved goodbye to Adrien, following the class as they filed out, but Marinette didn’t hear whatever words they exchanged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon, it was just them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon, she told herself, this would all be over with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her fears came back, holding her at her throat, and Marinette tried to breathe through it. Adrien noticed her distress, and he walked around and up the stairs. He pulled her into a tight hug, cradling the back of her head so her chin sat on his shoulder, and he held her until she found oxygen again. Marinette clung to him, bunching up the back of his shirt, and she tried not to sob too much, but she did pull back so she could bury herself in his chest instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t right now,” Adrien mumbled, his phone giving off the intimidating </span>
  <em>
    <span>ping!</span>
  </em>
  <span> that meant his bodyguard was waiting. “I have to go home for lunch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sniffled. “I know, but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After school?” Adrien asked, gently pushing Marinette away and pulling back, his eyes roaming over her face. What he was looking for, she wasn’t sure. “Can we… y’know…” Adrien gestured hopelessly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette felt her face twitch into a smile. “Yes,” she said, “I can do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Relief first eased into his shoulders, but it was short-lived. His jubilation quickly replaced it, and Marinette giggled as Adrien bounced on the balls of his feet. She took the opportunity to stand on her tiptoes and kiss his cheek before he started bouncing off the walls too, but the action surprised him and Adrien blinked, went still, and smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over the past few months, Marinette had learned to know him. So much of Adrien was packed away--sectioned off and stored in shrink-wrap, vacuum-sealed and labelled, neatly organised and contained--that when he pulled tricks or returned gestures, she was surprised. This time, as her lips left his skin, Adrien swooped in and returned it, pressing his lips even longer and harder to her cheek, until Marinette laughed and wiggled, caught in his arms again and unable to escape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adrien!” she squealed, patting at his shoulder. “You have to get going!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t wanna,” he grumbled, but he relented and stood up straight. Adrien looked down at her, and Marinette looked up at him, and a wordless conversation passed between him and her so smoothly, that both had to pause and blink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll… I’ll see you later,” Marinette whispered, her words loud in the empty classroom. Adrien nodded, and they stepped away from each other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t keep you waiting,” he replied, picking up his school bag and heading to the door. “You’ll contact them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” Even as she spoke, Marinette was pulling out her phone. She picked up her own backpack and followed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Marinette.” Adrien leaned down and kissed her cheek again, with more sincerity and kindness. “Enjoy your lunch!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And as she watched him race down the stairs, taking two at a time, and Marinette wondered how much more of him she had yet to unwrap. </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>All through lunch and then all through class, Adrien was high-strung and keenly aware. He felt like one of Luka’s guitar strings: bound tightly around a peg that kept getting turned until he was taut and stressed, until he could be plucked at and vibrated, until he sang in a high pitch whine that sounded nothing like his normal tune. He was constantly shifting and fidgeting in his lectures, actions normally not like him, for he was homeschooled and taught to sit straight and be still. Even Nino, his seatmate, took pity on him and gave him something to squeeze--a rubber ball, well-worn and full of sand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien clenched and unclenched his fist around it all throughout his last period, unable to properly understand the words from his teacher’s mouth. When he was called upon, some answer left Adrien’s mouth, but he didn’t know if it was correct.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed to satisfy the teacher, at least.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was not the only restless student. As the minute of their release loomed closer, more and more kids squirmed in their seats and tapped at their desks. Some packed away notebooks and pencils, chewed on pens, and sorted papers. Others somehow kept focus up until the last minute. Adrien was neither.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the bell rang, it startled him. His world snapped into focus. Marinette laid a hand on his shoulder and Adrien drew in a gasp of air, wondering when he had stopped breathing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” she asked him, her brows knitted in concern. Adrien nodded desperately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We just need to… y’know…” Adrien reiterated, but Marinette was still frowning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luka and Kagami are waiting for us,” his girlfriend mumbled, helping him pack his schoolbag. Adrien watched her hands as she worked: graceful and small, well-suited for sewing clothes but not playing an instrument. Those were Luka’s hands; long and thin and scarred, but his palms would never be smooth. That was Kagami; tough and solid and firm, but soft from her comfortable lifestyle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Absently, Adrien gave the stress ball back to Nino, thanked him quietly, and then took his things from Marinette. She smiled at him, small and shy, and Adrien breathed deeply through his nose and into his chest. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>trusted</span>
  </em>
  <span> her, more than anyone. She was a superhero in her own right, clever and brilliant, and she would understand. She would forgive him. She would trust him in return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien had no idea what she wanted to tell him, and he wondered if he should let her go first when it came time to talk. Surely revealing himself as Chat Noir would be a distraction from whatever she wanted to discuss? Adrien hoped not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He fidgeted all the way down the stairs, but once they reached the bottom, Marinette took his hand. Adrien curled his fingers tightly around hers, enjoying the simplicity of their fingers interlocking together, but he could tell his palms were sweaty and hers--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hers were too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that he had noticed, Adrien could see it. Her knees were shaking as she walked, and her posture was straighter than normal. She refused to look at him: her gaze was set dead-ahead towards the front door, and Adrien had to gently guide her around students as they walked together. Marinette was…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was just as nervous as him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien gripped her hand even tighter, and Marinette looked up at him out of worry. Adrien smiled, trying to reassure her, and Marinette smiled back. Both of their expressions wavered before settling back into genuine concern as they stopped outside at the top of the stairs. The heat hit them like a wall, engulfing them suddenly and completely. It was almost as bad as the anxiety between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He unstuck his tongue from the roof of his mouth, finally noticing how dry his throat was. “We’re going to your place, right?” he asked before swallowing. Marinette nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we’ll have more privacy,” she explained. “The Captain is, well…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien knew very well what Anarka was like: rowdy and bold, talkative and wild. There was no guarantee the houseboat would be closeby, there was no promise that Anarka wouldn’t barge in on their conversation, and the space was so small, they couldn’t assure that Juleka or a member of Kitty Section wasn’t listening in. No, Marinette’s place was their best bet at the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arguably, they would have more privacy at Adrien’s, but his father wouldn’t approve. Gabriel didn’t even know Adrien </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> this many friends, much less that he was in a romantic relationship with three of them, and even </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> less that one of them was male. And if Adrien had his way, Gabriel wouldn’t ever find out while Adrien was living under his father’s roof. On top of that, Adrien’s privacy also had the habit of being violated; Nathalie or the Gorilla could come in at any moment with no warning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And none of them would dare to mention Kagami’s house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, Marinette’s it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t a far walk either. They had to wait at the crosswalk, and Adrien hesitantly glanced over his shoulder for his bodyguard, but besides the other students, no one was following them. Once the light turned green, Marinette tugged him into the street, and they were at the bakery. Luka’s bike was locked up right outside, his helmet dangling from the handlebars.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette’s breath hitched, and she pushed open the door. Adrien heard her sigh in relief when she stepped into the bakery, and Adrien followed her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome home, my sweet bun!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom Dupain came bursting around the corner, and Adrien dropped Marinette’s hand as she was swept into a tight hug by her father. Patiently, Adrien stood off to the side, watching in amusement. Marinette was giggling, trying to fend off her father’s overwhelming kisses, and Adrien tried to hold in his own chuckles as they basked in their happiness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Adrien.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked away and smiled politely. “Good afternoon, madame,” Adrien said to Marinette’s mother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh you stop that nonsense,” Sabine tittered, cupping his cheek and pulling him into an exchange of la bise. He returned the favour, albeit clumsily since he had been caught off-guard.  She patted his face as she pulled away. “Did you want anything to eat? You’re always so hungry… We sent some food up with Kagami and Luka, but I </span>
  <em>
    <span>swear…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned away, muttering under her breath about scrawny children and their lucky metabolisms, but Adrien just stood there, smiling, his heart heavy. He loved Sabine and her insistent care; she filled some kind of void in him, a void he hadn’t acknowledged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom was finally putting Marinette down, but he took several steps back towards the counter with his finger waggling. “You two wait before you go upstairs,” he clarified, turning around and moving around the register to the oven. “I’ll get you something to bring your friends and--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tom,” Sabine said softly, already passing by her husband with a basket in her arms. “I already have something for them.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien hastily walked forward to take it from her, his eyes wide. He could smell the sugar; the salt; the thick, fresh yeast coming from beneath the white linen towel covering the basket, and he inhaled deeply, his face relaxing and shoulders hunching up in pleasure. Marinette chuckled behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Make sure you and your </span>
  <em>
    <span>partners--”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sabine clarified, sending a glare back at Tom, who had the decency of looking sheepish. “--eat their fair share, alright, Marinette?” Sabine’s smile was kind, but Adrien could read the threat in her eyes. He nodded along with her daughter, eager to get started on fresh bread, cookies, macarons, quiches--! Whatever was in this basket would be simply divine!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll make sure Adrien doesn’t eat them all,” Marinette teased, taking him by the elbow and tugging him behind the counter and towards the door that led to the stairs. Adrien nearly tripped over his feet, but he righted himself easily and turned to give M Dupain and Mme Cheng one last, big grin and a wave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, both of you! I promise I’ll share!” Adrien knew Marinette was rolling her eyes, because who else could be tugging on the back of his shirt, but Adrien was more interested in Tom and Sabine’s farewells and, “Make sure you all obey the rules too!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette groaned and hid her face in her hands as they started up the stairs. “They’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>sooo</span>
  </em>
  <span> embarrassing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think they’re great,” Adrien countered, digging under the cloth to investigate the goods. He stuck his finger into something bready, and he pulled it out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Croissant! Score!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you do,” Marinette grumbled, rounding the first landing and starting up the next flight. She paused on the next step. “I mean-- I didn’t mean--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re fine,” Adrien said around his first bite. He swallowed, stopping behind her. “They’re just looking out for you.” He looked down at the basket. “For all of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette studied him for a moment, her eyes searching his face. Adrien had no idea what she was looking for, but she soon said, “Yeah. I guess they are,” and continued her trek up to the living room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The front door was unlocked, and Marinette pushed it open slowly. Kagami threw it open the rest of the way and pulled Marinette into a tight hug, squeezing until Marinette patted her on the back and tried to step away. Adrien would’ve been more than glad to help, but the basket was being lifted away from his own arms and set down on the floor. Adrien found himself engulfed in his own hug, and he awkwardly returned it, patting Luka on the back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H-Hey,” he greeted, feeling Luka’s hold tighten. Something in him was tense, but as Adrien adjusted and started rubbing circles into Luka’s back, the other boy relaxed. With a start, Adrien realised Luka was </span>
  <em>
    <span>shaking.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Adrien mumbled, placing his mouth as close to Luka’s ear as he could, hoping that the girls wouldn’t overhear their conversation. They were muttering about something, but Adrien couldn’t pick it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Luka breathed, moving his hands up Adrien’s back to grip into the back of his shirt--just like Marinette had done. “Just…happy to see you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m happy to see you too.” Adrien suspected there was more to it than that, especially when Luka kissed his cheek before standing a little straighter, but Adrien decided to let it go. Right before the older boy pulled away, Luka whispered into his ear, and Adrien shuddered.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You plan to tell her, right?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka held Adrien at arm’s length. Gooseflesh prickled along his arms despite the warmth of the room, and Adrien stared into Luka’s eyes with fierce determination. Somewhere beside them, Adrien sensed Kagami and Marinette were in a similar pose, the latter's face set into a similar expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Together, Adrien and Marinette nodded once, resolved and sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They would keep their promise.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Kagami could not sit still.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She loved the Dupain-Cheng’s. The apartment home was cluttered, small, and filled with knick-knacks and items of various qualities, but it was a home. Every object had a story, from the knitted couch pillows to the plants on the window sills to the notes and artwork posted all over their blue fridge. It was nothing like where she or Adrien lived, big and empty and isolated, and everything here felt loved and wanted, rather than displayed and coveted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien and Marinette had gone upstairs some five minutes before, and now, Kagami and Luka were left in the living room, alone and silent. Kagami roamed the apartment, picking up items and examining them, gently handling them and admiring their flaws and imperfections. Sometimes, Luka watched her. Sometimes, Luka looked like he wanted to speak. But most of the time, he stared at his nosily decorated shoes and was just as quiet as the rest of the building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The heat wasn’t so bad inside, but Kagami was sweating anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They couldn’t hear anything upstairs without standing right below the trap door. It was shut but not locked, and while part of Kagami wanted to eavesdrop, a firmer, more resolute part reminded her to not betray her partners’ trust. Luka was obviously battling something of equal intensity, because he would chew his lip, bite his thumb, and spin his ring until it hissed and sang.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She put down the vase she had picked up for a third time. Luka was watching her. Kagami took a deep breath, her lungs flooding with stale, summer air, but Luka looked away before she could speak. She huffed in annoyance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence. Silence. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Silence.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t take this anymore,” she stated, sharply moving away from the sink and heading towards the stairs. Luka cursed and stood up from the couch, and he grabbed her wrist just as her foot landed on the first step.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They have to do this themselves,” Luka reminded her, but Kagami narrowed her eyes at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It should not take them this long,” Kagami growled, trying to tug herself away. She was surprised to find that his grip was strong. She had always suspected the Couffaine boy was weak; he was near scrawny under his hoodie. “Let me go,” she demanded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he did. But Kagami did not move further up the stairs. She watched him instead, searching his face for answers, but Luka’s features betrayed nothing but fear and doubt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well?” she pushed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t interfere,” Luka snapped. He sighed, placed one hand on his hip and ran his other through his dyed hair, and Kagami watched as he closed his eyes. He was trying to calm down, she realised, and she wondered at that. “No matter what, this… This doesn’t really involve us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re wrong.” Kagami stepped off the stairs as she spoke, and Luka opened his eyes to look at her. Blue met brown, water and wood, one always flowing and one always standing. “This involves the people we care about most. Of course it involves us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka grimaced. “I don’t think it does. This is between Ladybug and--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is between Adrien and Marinette,” Kagami interrupted him, stomping her foot. She was surprised at her own vehement expression of emotion, and Luka looked as taken about it as she did. Kagami growled in frustration, and she started pacing the apartment again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Past the kitchen. Into the living room. Around the coffee table. Back into the kitchen, into the entryway, past the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pausing at the stairs and looking upwards. Luka’s eyes narrowing. Kagami ripped her eyes away and continued her circuit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you want to talk about it?” Luka asked. He had sat down on a stool, probably in a feeble attempt to be out of her way; he was tucked in as close as humanly possible, his knees pressed against the door of the cabinet and his elbows folded on the tabletop. Kagami paced once more around the living room before stopping in front of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s there to talk about?” she demanded. Luka blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re scared,” he pointed out. “I know what I’m scared of. But what about you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> scared,” Kagami objected, and she was surprised when he frowned. His nails, still painted black, tapped on the glass in a wave, creating a clicking noise that ruffled Kagami further. Her shoulders went tense. “I want to help them. I want to be there for them. I am--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stopped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She swallowed, and she hesitated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neither of them seemed to breathe as Kagami wrestled with her thoughts. Luka watched, seemingly calm, as she shook and tried to come to terms with the nasty, smokey, curling feeling inside her chest, just beneath her ribs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re scared,” Luka whispered, his words puncturing the stale, warm air like a needle punctures a balloon. Kagami hissed as she inhaled. “That’s okay; I am too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked down at his fingers, still clicking away, and he slowly forced himself to stop. He started flicking the ring on his index instead, but it obviously wasn’t enough for him. Kagami wondered when Luka would get frustrated; she rarely saw him so agitated, especially when Marinette and Adrien were involved, and now she had seen it twice in a week.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The secrets, she realised, were probably eating at him as much as they were eating at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m scared that, up there--” Luka jerked his chin towards the ceiling, indicating Marinette’s bedroom, “--they’re getting into a fight. That they’re making demands of each other that they can’t keep. And when all is said and done, they’ll decide none of this is worth it anymore, and they’ll go their separate ways. That the heroes Paris relies on will be a fractured team.” His blue eyes hardened, and Kagami watched as his hands went still. “I’m scared that… they’ll decide to leave this relationship, when they so desperately need one another.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ring spun again, hissing. Kagami blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She recognised that Luka was being vulnerable with her in an attempt to get her to open up as well. After thinking it over, Kagami took a breath and sat down at the stool across from the blue boy--his hair, his eyes, his clothes, all blue, a supposed colour of serenity. Yet he wasn’t serene at all, judging by his words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smoothing out her skirt over her knees, Kagami tried to find her voice to put her terror into words. All her life, she’d been taught to not feel it, to not even acknowledge it, but now she had to at least poke at it. “I’m scared that they’re falling in love,” Kagami stated, deciding to meet Luka’s eyes instead of looking into his reflection on the glass tabletop. “And that they’re realising they don’t need us, don’t want us, anymore. Because we’re inferior.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who can compare to Ladybug and Chat Noir?” Luka muttered, putting his chin in his hand. “They’re practically fated to be. Written in the stars, tied by a red string, soulmates. Whatever you wanna call it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that does not leave room for others,” Kagami finished, still unmoving. Luka grunted in agreement and broke their stare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m scared of that too,” he admitted. “But I’d be okay with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami glared at him, her spine stiffening, but Luka’s eyes had drifted close. “Why?” she demanded. “Do you want to be left behind?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does it matter?” Luka said. “As long as they’re happy, I’ll be happy too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not how happiness works,” Kagami retorted. “I would not be happy to be heart-broken.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka flinched and his eyelids lifted. He looked ready to cry; Kagami felt the same. Tears were prickling at the corners of her eyes, and she had no way of holding them back if they chose to fall. The air between them seemed to oscillate with their tension, their words vibrating the pulled-taut strings of their nerves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unable to stand the prospect of tears and sitting still, Kagami lifted herself out of the stool and went to a window, looking out over Paris. She could see the river, the cathedral, the people enjoying the summer sun. She could feel the heat of the glass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was preferable to the heat of her emotions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do we do?” Kagami spoke up, her voice echoing off the windowpane.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve done all we can,” Luka replied, sitting up straight and turning around. She could hear him as he shifted. “It’s up to them now. We’re here as support and nothing more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her fists clenched, her nails digging into her palm, but Kagami forced herself to relax.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But they cannot support us right now.” She moved away from the window and looked back at Luka, her expression finally settled. He was watching her, a combination of sympathy and sadness drawing lines in the contours of his face. “So who supports us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka chuckled, but she thought it sounded ugly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least we have each other,” he bit out. “And well, if that’s not enough, Ladybug and Chat Noir are nearby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami scoffed in amusement and returned to looking out the window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hoping that every glimpse of brilliant purple wasn’t what she feared.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The thick, stuffy, humid air of summer dragged out the silence longer than it had any right to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t talk again. Luka and Kagami had exchanged all the words they needed to, they had been as honest as they could be, and there was nothing left to say that wouldn’t run them in spiralling circles of self-deprecation and the dread of being abandoned. Arguing would not help them, and they both felt that argument on the edges of their minds and the tips of their tongues, and so, Luka suspected they were both choosing to just not speak at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But like any heatwave, it ended in a storm. Like a microburst impeding on a hot and sunny day, Adrien and Marinette came rushing down the stairs, the trap door banging as it closed behind them. Luka looked up from his fingers--and went rigid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re breathless. They’re red and flushed, and they moved as if something was agitating their skin: something emotional and heavy, like the aftermath of a fight or the conclusion of a desperate and fevered kiss. Sweat was slick on their foreheads, and Luka knew it was probably hotter in Marinette’s room: it was upstairs and heat rises; it had all outside walls, and Marinette didn’t own a fan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet they were also smiling, and while Adrien’s pupils were blown wide and Marinette’s eyes were as round as saucers, the expressions on their faces were mirrored: surprised, yet elated; enamoured, yet high on the adrenaline of whatever had happened between them. Like puzzle pieces, their lives had clicked together. Everything was snapping into place, one by one by one, and suddenly it all made </span>
  <em>
    <span>sense.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And while a part of Luka was shrivelling, starving, </span>
  <em>
    <span>dying,</span>
  </em>
  <span> a majority of him was as thrilled and excited as they were. The jubilation seeping into the room was beyond measure, as potent as stardust to the building of worlds. Seeing the people he loved in love was a reward in and of itself, and Luka wouldn’t trade this moment for the cosmos--even if it was coinciding with the tearing and shredding of his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps, in this case, Kagami was right.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They </span>
  </em>
  <span>would be the ones to be abandoned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At some point, Kagami had come forward to stand beside him at the table. Her face was blank, her smile small, and everything that Luka was feeling right now was nowhere to be found in her body language. Yet he wasn’t sure what expression was on his face either, and he wasn’t about to judge hers, but he can feel the solidarity between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In that moment--in those few, precarious seconds where they teetered on the edge of a great abyss--Luka vowed to get to know her. No matter what happened between them or became of this relationship, he’d make a greater conscious effort to be her friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His intuition told him that they would both need the solidarity of their companionship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the seconds ticked by, Luka’s heart sank. It was taking Adrien and Marinette way too long to finally notice and address the other people in the room. Only when Kagami politely cleared her throat did Adrien look up from Marinette. Luka watched, his stomach churning, his heart fluttering, his head pounding, as Adrien’s face shifted from adoration, to surprise, to amazement--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To a grin so wide it looked wild.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien quickly kissed Marinette on the cheek, causing her to splutter, before he </span>
  <em>
    <span>let go</span>
  </em>
  <span> of her and spun around. The blond rushed forward, practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>threw</span>
  </em>
  <span> himself at Kagami, and then pressed his mouth eagerly over hers. Kagami caught him, as shocked as Luka was, and her brown eyes were blown as Adrien kissed her. As she relaxed, Adrien cupped her cheek and she put her hands in his hair, and Luka jumped when he felt a hand on his arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette wrapped her arms around him from behind and pressed her face into his shoulder. Luka placed a hand over hers, holding it. He wondered if she could feel his heart, erratically beating around his ribcage, desperate to be free and running high on adrenaline. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” she whispered, lifting her head to speak into his ear. Luka shivered. “You went through all of that, just for us. Both of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was eating at me,” Luka replied, his voice as low as hers so as not to interrupt the ‘conversation’ between Adrien and Kagami. “I couldn’t stand it anymore. I would’ve taken your secret to the grave, but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami pushed Adrien away, but he looked dazed and confused as she smiled slyly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But he was too much of a coward to do it alone,” Kagami added, letting her hands fall to Adrien’s shoulders. “And I agreed with him. This was not something that should’ve remained hidden.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka wrinkled his nose. “I wasn’t a coward,” he grumbled, but Marinette giggled and kissed his cheek. Something in him eased, and Luka sighed as Adrien nuzzled into Kagami’s hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was my fault,” Marinette confessed. Her arms tightened around him. “I didn’t want to put anyone in danger. I was scared. What if Papillon…” Luka forcibly turned himself around and ran his right, softer, hand through her hair, behind her ear, and down her jawline to cup her chin. Marinette blinked up at him, caught unawares, and her words puttered out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We want the opportunity to protect you,” Luka said, his voice firm despite the shaking in his hands. “We want you to let us help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka tilted forward, kissed her, and Marinette kissed him back. It was chaste and simple, and when they pulled away, Luka felt significantly more at ease.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette blinked again, but the dazed look was slipping from her muscles. Focus and resolve curtained over it, hardening the lines in her eyes and furrowing her brow. Luka wanted to smooth those lines, but Marinette straightened, stepped back, and his hands fell back into his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We talked about that.” Marinette’s fists were clenched tightly at her sides. Adrien pulled away from Kagami, his whole body going tense. Luka sensed Adrien walk around them, and soon, the cat stood beside his Lady, and Luka stared, astonished as the change came over them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami laid a hand on Luka’s shoulder as Adrien and Marinette shared a look. Together, the two of them nodded, an entire conversation Luka and Kagami weren’t privy to passing between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This </span>
  </em>
  <span>was Ladybug and Chat Noir.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We would…” Adrien wrapped his hand around Marinette’s, his breathing purposefully slow and measured, as if he was weighing his words. “...like to entrust something to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You trusted us to tell each other,” Marinette said, her eyes flickering back and forth between Luka and Kagami. Suspecting that this was important, Luka pushed himself to his feet, holding back a groan as his knees protested. Kagami’s hand fell, but Luka was surprised when she gently nudged his fingers instead. Tentatively, they wrapped their hands together, digits entwining and tightening, thumbs running over knuckles, their palms slick from heat and nerves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And in turn, we would like to trust you.” Marinette reached out her free hand, and Luka instinctively lifted his. Yet instead of taking hold of it, she placed something small, round, and smooth into his palm. Beside him, Adrien did the same with Kagami.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Curiously, Luka looked down, and he stared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he started, and Kagami shifted awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My identity is compromised beyond the individuals in this group,” she said, her voice steady, but Luka could hear the regret in her words. Kagami tried to press the red-and-spotted-black egg back to Adrien, but Adrien pulled his hand away and shook his head. “I cannot accept this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka examined the egg in his own hand, refusing to let go of Kagami’s to get a better view. It wasn’t much bigger than the hexagonal box had been, but it was harder to hold onto. He wondered if the jewels came in eggs now because Marinette was the guardian.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He decided it made sense. The ladybug was creation, and eggs gave way to life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We want you to have him anyway, Kagami,” Marinette said as Adrien nodded. “We discussed it. We…” Her eyes lowered, and her body shook, and Luka jerked his gaze back up. “We need help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien let go of Marinette’s hand to wrap the same arm around her shoulders as she shook. Luka impulsively let go of Kagami’s to also stand beside his girlfriend, placing an arm around her waist and drawing her close, hoping to protect her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We really do,” Adrien whispered, looking up to stare at Luka. Luka swallowed thickly. “The Akuma attacks are frequent enough that we don’t sleep much. People are starting to get suspicious of our disappearances.” Adrien scowled and looked back at Kagami. “If we can’t have you beside us, Kagami, we--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The fights will only get more difficult,” Marinette interrupted her partner, and he fell silent, clearly defaulting to her guidance. “Between Ryuuko’s skill with the sword and Viperion’s time abilities, I think we stand a chance, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>true</span>
  </em>
  <span> chance, against Papillon and the Akumas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami looked down at the egg in her hand, back up at the people she loved, and nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’ll have me,” she said with a smirk, and Luka returned it as the three of them welcomed her into their group hug. Adrien sniffled, quite loudly, and Marinette giggled with a quiet, “Silly kitty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Adrien pouted, laying his head on Luka’s shoulder as they shifted so Kagami could properly hug Marinette in thanks. “Let me be--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sentimental?” Luka supplied, and Adrien turned his petulant look on his boyfriend. Luka grinned back and kissed the crown of Adrien’s head. “You know that’ll be even more dangerous in a fight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’ll make us stronger,” Adrien retaliated, tucking his head under Luka’s chin. Luka grunted as he moved to accommodate Adrien’s height; there wasn’t much of a difference between them. “We’ll be able to help each other, meet up, make plans. And if something happens…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing will happen.” Kagami was running a hand through Marinette’s pigtails, undoing knots with her fingers. Her voice didn’t waver; it was as rigid with determination as the bole of a redwood. “We won’t let it happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t say things like that,” Marinette mumbled into Kagami’s shoulder. “I’ve...saved Chat’s life, Adrien’s life, more times than I can count. I…” Luka heard, rather than saw, her swallow. “Now I’ll have to save your lives too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka didn’t have much experience as Viperion, but… His first Akuma hadn’t been easy. It was his role in the plan to watch, to observe, to tease out the parts of the fight that went right and the parts of the fight that went wrong, and then reset the clock when the fight went poorly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking back, watching Adrien and Marinette risk their lives, over and over again, Luka couldn’t help the shiver racing down his spine. Marinette must’ve felt it, for she turned her big, blue eyes up at him, and Luka gave her an uneasy smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And thank you,” she said, lifting a hand from Kagami’s back. “For saving our lives too.” It landed, soft and small and cool, on his cheek, and Luka leaned into it, his chin brushing along Adrien’s downy hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would be honoured,” Luka said firmly, but with an underlying rasp to his voice that drew everyone’s attention, “to assist you, to protect you, no matter the cost.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette’s eyes were hard. With a great collective heave, they laboriously pulled apart as if at her signal, but their hands still lingered on each others’ arms: their fingers curled, their knuckles white, and their palms trembling. No one truly wanted to let go, not quite yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you both accept?” Marinette asked, lifting her chin and glancing between Luka and Kagami with fire in her eyes. They both nodded, and Adrien grinned. He quickly embraced Luka again, who grunted as all of the air in his lungs was squeezed out, and then moved onto Kagami, who had to humbly break Adrien’s grip on her when he hugged too tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien just moved on to his next target, and he picked up Marinette to spin her around. She squealed as Luka and Kagami hastily backed away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Put me down, Agreste!” Marinette squealed, her small fists hitting his back as Adrien laughed. Luka glanced nervously at Kagami, but the concern on both of their faces faded to amusement as Marinette started to giggle. “Chat! Adrien! Down! I want </span>
  <em>
    <span>down!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“As Milday wishes.” The smirk on Adrien’s face was mischievous, and Kagami and Luka could only watch as Adrien bodily carried Marinette to the living room couch and dumped her on it. She huffed as she dropped, bouncing on the cushion, and Luka could see her cheeks were as red as apples--from either embarrassment or the exhilaration, he wasn’t sure. Knowing her, a mix of both.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re insufferable,” she grumbled, crossing her arms and looking away, but her eyes caught sight of Luka and Kagami still lingering in the kitchen. Adrien was already turning away, and Marinette beckoned them over. “Hey, you guys okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka cautiously pocketed the egg, slipping it into a front pocket of his jeans. He’d put it in his bag later, and he would greet Sass once he was home. Kagami seemed to have the same idea; she was no longer holding the egg that Adrien had given her. She was the first to approach the couch, just as Adrien was plopping down beside Marinette, a multitude of movie cases in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we’re fine,” Kagami said, taking Marinette’s hand and allowing herself to be pulled onto the couch. Marinette leaned against her, sighing with a smile as Luka lingered nearby. “We were worried, and the relief was sudden.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relief?” Adrien asked, looking up from the movies as Marinette pointed at one. “Why...were you relieved?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka took the movie from Adrien as it was handed up to him, and Marinette leaned forward to pick up the remote. The television flickered to life as Luka busied his hands with preparing the player for the disc; opening the case, ejecting the old one, finding the old case…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet Kagami wasn’t replying, and when Luka finally finished, he saw that all eyes were on him. He swallowed, and his fingers went straight to spinning his ring, the soft hiss of twirling metal a small comfort when forced to face his fears. He tried not to fidget any more than that, but meeting their expectant gazes head-on wasn’t easy either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We thought…” Luka started, but Kagami’s eyes narrowed, and he started again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I</span>
  </em>
  <span> thought that...if you two learned the truth, it would cause a rift. I thought this was a secret that would… That it would rot and destroy us, from the inside. I couldn’t take it anymore. I’m sorry if I was--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luka.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t realised his eyes were wet until Adrien was holding his hand out, like Marinette had to Kagami, and Luka rapidly blinked away the tears before they could develop and fall. His chest felt as tight as if it was wrapped in chains, but as he stepped forward and slipped his fingers into Adrien’s hand, the chains fell away. Like Adrien’s touch was a key, and the anxiety had been nothing but a lock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Luka,” Adrien insisted, tugging Luka to the couch as the starting commercials flickered across the screen. The sound was low or muted, Luka couldn’t tell which around the buzzing in his ears. “We’re not mad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not?” Marinette asked, surprised. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien looked at her as he slung his arm around Luka’s shoulders. “Why would we be mad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette’s hands started to flail, but Kagami reached out and lowered them. Marinette didn’t even notice. “We’ve been compromised! We’re at a greater risk! We--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve been over this,” Adrien whispered, kissing her cheek. “We’re going to be stronger, together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She seemed to relax, but Luka knew there was still a lot more on her mind. “Yeah…” Marinette said softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was worried as well,” Kagami added, her fingers pressing into Marinette’s as she massaged the joints and palms. “But my fear was different. I thought that, if you two revealed yourselves to each other, you would not need us anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien blinked, shocked, and he turned to Luka. Luka could see that Adrien wanted to ask if that was true, but Marinette beat him to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You...really believed that?” Marinette said quietly, and Adrien’s head whipped back the other way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did.” Luka was looking at his hands when all three of them looked at him again. As he started to fidget, Adrien pulled his arm off from around Luka’s shoulders and took his hands instead. The selection menu for the movie popped up onto the screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We still need you,” Adrien stressed. Marinette nodded beside him. “We’ll </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> need you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka felt his mouth twist into a smile. “That’s the relief.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was entirely too hot to cuddle on a soft couch with four people, but they made it work. Kagami and Luka took off their jackets; Adrien and Marinette shed their overshirts; and all of them took off their socks eventually. They ploughed through the treats Sabine had given them earlier, and they went through more water than any of them could keep track of. And while Marinette and Adrien couldn’t bear to part for the duration of the movie, they made Luka and Kagami switch spots multiple times, hopping from one end of the couch to the other, so everyone could get appropriate amounts of cuddle time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And about halfway through the film, exhaustion caught up to all of them. Marinette was the first to doze off, and when her head hit Adrien’s shoulder, he followed soon after. Luka pulled the throw blanket across them, before he stood and went back to the kitchen, the tile cooler on his bare feet than the warmth of the couch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t expecting Kagami to follow him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up?” he said, barely glancing at her as he refilled his glass with water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” And she bowed, her body near perpendicular. Luka felt his eyes nearly leave his skull, and he took a step back, his glass now full.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“R-Really, it wasn’t that--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was,” Kagami said as she straightened. “It was a big deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka gulped, but he covered up his worry by taking a careful sip of water. He moved out of the way as Kagami filled her glass as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You showed bravery, courage, and determination,” Kagami said as the water level rose. Luka went still. “You love them, and you were willing to risk their love for you to ensure their future happiness.” The water stopped, and Kagami took her own swallow from her glass. Luka gulped again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I appreciate what you did, because I love them too. So yes: Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka nodded. “I’d do it all over again,” he whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As would I,” she confirmed, and they both looked towards the couch where Ladybug and Chat Noir were asleep, calm and at peace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll take their secret to the grave?” Kagami said with a slight smirk, and Luka chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Definitely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they walked back to the couch, twin tails of water droplets marked their path, dripping from the condensation of their glasses. They stayed behind, small and steady, in the warmth and comfort of the Dupain-Cheng’s, away from the hot summer sun.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><a href="https://discord.gg/mlfanworks">Come and join us on the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server!</a><br/>We are a community of MLB fans who write, read, beta, collab, and even exchange fanfiction and fanart. We run events, Author AMAs, calendar prompts, writing and art sprints, and we even have a book club for fanfics! Come join over 500 amazing, supportive Ladybug and Chat Noir fans today!</p>
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